Zavitinsk
Small town in Amur Oblast, in Russia’s Far East near the Chinese border. In Last of the Breed it is where the fleeing fur dealer Zhikarev is dropped off, only to find his border crossing blocked.
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last of the Breed | Louis L’Amour | journey waypoint | Zhikarev rides a truck from Aldan to Zavitinsk to cross into China, learns his border contact is away and is left stranded at night. |
Last of the Breed — Louis L’Amour (1986)
Source: Original · Readwise highlight
“I can only take you to Zavitinsk this time,” the driver was saying, “and I can pick you up in six days’ time when I am on my way back.”
- Role: journey waypoint
- In the book: After Kyra Lebedev squeezes him over Joe Mack’s furs, Zhikarev abandons his Aldan shop and rides a truck at night to Zavitinsk, planning to slip across the Amur via a border post whose officer, Potanin, has let him buy Manchurian furs. On the way the driver tells him Potanin has gone on leave to Yakutsk and the strict Lieutenant Baransky has taken over. Dropped off, he stands alone in the dark, afraid to go back to his shop, and hides between buildings from a gang of hooligans.
- Why it matters: Minor but pivotal for the subplot: the blocked crossing at Zavitinsk strands Zhikarev, who then thinks of hiding with cousins in Khabarovsk or on Olga Bay and heads for the coast.